Investment Articles

When it comes to getting into investing, many people find themselves hesitant, for a number of reasons. When asked, the number one reason people state for not wanting to invest their money is lack of knowledge.

Fortunately for these people, investing isn’t too complex to get into, and as many confident investors can tell you, it’s just a matter of getting started. Once you have tried a few investments that are good for beginners, investment knowledge begins coming quickly. There are a number of investment opportunities that are ideal for first time investors, and first timers might be surprised to learn that they are already investing and don’t even know it.

Interest bearing savings accounts are one type of investment that many people already have. These types of accounts are fairly simple – they pay a % return on the amount of money in the account, depending on the bank. As many people already have interest bearing savings accounts, a good type of investment to start out with is a certificate of deposit, or CD. Interest rates on CDs are typically higher than on savings accounts, and can be purchased at most any bank. One benefit of a CD is that you can choose the duration of the investment, and then collect interest until the CD reaches maturity. Despite the recent furore regarding the banks, they remain a safe place to put your money, but of course the paltry percentages being offered at the time of writing are often outstripped by rates of inflation. So if you reframe any savings accounts that you have as investments, they start looking like a poor choice.

Money market funds are often a good option for first time investors. These work in much the same way as interest bearing saving accounts, and have higher interest payouts. Like savings account, they are short term, and are a good alternative for first time investors who don’t want their money tied up in a CD.

Once you have tried out one or all of these types of investments, you’ll quickly realize how easy investing can be. From here, a popular option is to meet with a broker and discuss more complex investing options. As you continue learning, a good tip of advice is to maintain a low risk tolerance. A low risk tolerance simply means that the investor sticks to investment opportunities that are low risk, which is good for first time investors just getting started.

You should also realize that learning investment methods yourself is much easier than you may think and puts you in charge of your future. Try and make sure the information you’re getting comes from reliable – proven to be reliable – source. Anybody offering you investment information should have a publicly proven track record of making money from investing, and not just from writing about it!

Andy Markus is an online trader who is busy studying the methods of acclaimed trading guru Mark Shipman using his http://www.TheAutonomousMillionaire.com course.

Most people want to know what the best investment is for them. What investment information should they be aware of and which investment options fit their needs? Here’s how to get your ducks in a row before you invest money.

Many people go to free personal investing seminars looking for investment information. They want to invest money, but don’t even know what their investment options are. What do they get? Maybe they get a free lunch; and likely they get a sales presentation.

When I was a financial planner I designed my personal investing seminars to be different because most of the ones I had been to turned me off. I didn’t try to sell a specific financial product as being the best investment for everyone present. Instead I emphasized general basic investment information like: what your basic investment options are, and how to select the best investment for YOU.

Before you invest money consider 5 things, in this order: liquidity, safety, growth, income, and tax advantages. How import is each to you, on a scale of 1 to 10? You can’t have it all, because there is no perfect investment. But if you’re honest with yourself you can eliminate investment options that are not appropriate for you in your search for your best investment. Here’s an example of how this game of elimination works.

Let’s say that you want to invest money for retirement, and you plan to retire in 10 or more years. You don’t need high liquidity (quick and easy access to your money) because you expect to keep this money working for years. You are willing to give up high safety in return for growth and the potential for higher investment returns. Receiving interest income is not important, but if you could get a tax break you certainly would not pass it up.

What investment options can you eliminate, and what might be your best investment? You can eliminate: savings accounts, CDs, money market accounts, Treasury securities, and other investments designed to pay interest income with a high degree of safety. What’s your best investment?

Opening an IRA with a mutual fund company could offer you growth potential and tax advantages.

On the other hand, if you need ready access to your money and/or interest income you don’t need a mutual fund IRA; you need the likes of the investment options we just eliminated above.

The next time you consider an investment rank it by the 5 criteria above. That’s the investment information you need to find an investment that best fits you.

A retired financial planner, James Leitz has an MBA (finance) and 35 years of investing experience. For 20 years he advised individual investors, working directly with them helping them to reach their financial goals.

Jim is the author of a complete investor guide, Invest Informed, designed for average investors or would-be investors of all levels of financial background and experience. To learn more about investments and investing and his new financial guide go to http://www.investinformed.com.

What are Junk Silver coins and why are they a great investment? Junk silver coins are simply U.S. coins that contain real silver and have been in general circulation at some point. The name “junk” come from coin collectors, and it means that the coins have no collectible value. Despite the less than attractive name, these coins are one of the best ways available for individual investors to own silver. The reason is that these coins have several unique advantages over other ways of investing in silver.

First and foremost, the U.S. government certifies the silver content of these coins. That means that if you have a pre-1964 dime, you can be confident that it contains 90$ silver. Similarly, if you find a silver quarter from the right issue, you can be certain of its silver content.

Because of this, these coins are easily recognized, and highly liquid all over the world. That makes them a great way to store and transport value for anyone who is concerned about the current economic climate.

Another advantage is the coins’ small size makes it easy to conduct transactions with them even under the worst economic circumstances. In that way, they are much easier to work with than silver bars or other silver forms of silver bullion.

Lastly, these coins are legal tender in the U.S. That means they can be spent for their face value. In other words, they can never go to zero, even if the price of silver completely collapses. Few other investments can make this claim.

Nowadays many people are concerned about inflation and the national debt. Owning precious metals is one of the best ways to protect yourself against this, and circulated silver coins are one of the most convenient ways to do it.

Ami Raju writes for http://junksilvertrader.com/ – a resource for investing in junk silver coins, with prices, investment information, and more.